This innocent looking restaurant with the long name is on a side street very close to the Hotel Balima. We were seemingly the first diners to venture in that particular evening, but eventually a number of solo male diners would arrive. The interior has the appearance of a bar trying to look like a cozy home in Morocco. The dining room is moodily illuminated, with a candle lit at each occupied table. Pleasant Moroccan music was played in the background, audible but unobtrusive.
Our waiter was an impressive man, tall, dark, and sporting a brilliant deep blue robe with a pointed hood (usually not worn indoors), a garment sported by many Moroccans. We were served a complementary appetizer, a small dish of lentils in a light sauce. For the entree I wanted to order the most bizarre item on the menu (this was my first meal in Morocco), so I picked a pastilla. When it came out, it looked suspiciously like I had mistakenly ordered dessert! It was the size of a thick hamburger patty, with a criss-cross topping of powdered sugar and cinnamon. This is the main course? Indeed it was, as the pastilla is composed of finely crafted layers of flaky phyllo encrusting various fillings. This pastilla contained chunks of chicken and nuts, a rich concoction for an entree (do not inhale while digesting the powdered toppings or you may need to reach for your tea or water!). My friend ordered a Berber-style tajine, a rich stew of various meats and boiled vegetables served in the distinctive coolie-hat tajine container.
The bill was presented in a precociously clever version of a tajine, made of straw and colored like the waiter's robe. The coolie-hat lid held on tight to the base, securely containing the check until we could pry it open. The prices are perhaps a little higher than average, but the dining experience here is very comfortable and worth a few extra dirham. The washrooms are a flight up from the dining room.